The Gate at Winchelsea leading to Rye

Drawing of the ruined 14th-century Strand Gate in Winchelsea in Sussex, one of the original Cinque Ports. It was planned by Edward I as a fortified town, with a wide streets and a regular layout, enhancing trade. However as the town harbour silted up, Winchelsea lost its strategic importance. Daniel Defoe commented in 1725 that Winchelsea was "rather the skeleton of an ancient city, than a real town."